


At The Crosswalk

by reverenehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Love at First Sight, M/M, Mutual Pining, do not jaywalk, vivi and monggu plays a major part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reverenehun/pseuds/reverenehun
Summary: Same time, same place. Both Sehun and Kai have thirty five seconds each morning to cross path with each other.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41
Collections: monthlysekai's Love at First...





	At The Crosswalk

**Author's Note:**

> Written for monthlysekai’s Challenge #1
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/94button)

“Five more minutes…” Sehun grumbles but Vivi, his two year old Bichon Frise decides to paw at his mess of a bed hair, demanding his master to wake up and prepare his daily premium breakfast.

“God. It’s Monday, I just want to stay in bed for a bit more.” Sehun sits up grumpily and Vivi barks excitedly before leaping off the King size bed.

He says goodbye to Vivi after preparing his breakfast. He checks the time on his wrist watch and he mentally curses himself for that extra five minutes in bed because he is seriously going to be late for work.

* * *

Sehun pants pathetically, chest heaving as if he is having a bad case of asthma. Readjusting his necktie, he glances up and sees another man opposite the crosswalk, panting and heaving just like him, except looking much classier than Sehun himself; bronze tanned and sun kissed skin stands out in contrast to the neatly ironed white dress shirt, though with the sleeves messily rolled up to his elbows.

Their eyes meet for a few seconds and Sehun thinks he sees the man smirk. Blinking and looking away nervously, Sehun prays he does not look like a complete mess. 

Green… amber… red.

The traffic gradually comes to a standstill and the cross walk lights up in green with a bright neon countdown just beside the blinking green man. The countdown starts, thirty five seconds till the cars starts moving again.

Thirty seconds, Sehun thinks he’s being really creepy checking out the tanned man walking towards his direction and wow, every second he gets closer to said male, his throat gets drier. 

He curls his bottom lip between his teeth as he checks out the tall man that is looking more dashing right now as their distance shortens. 

Twenty eight seconds. 

“Morning!” The tanned male smiles at him, greeting before passing by him and Sehun’s cheeks have never heated up this quick.

Sehun slows down, whipping his head around but the tanned male continues walking.

Maybe, Sehun would stop staying in bed for the extra five minutes. The tanned male had seemed like he was in a rush this morning, just like himself, something tells him that he’ll bump into his personal good-morning-man tomorrow again.

* * *

Tuesday. 

He makes sure he will not make the same mistake like yesterday; when his pet poodle Monggu decided to poop all over his kitchen, making the man late for his work.

Even though he was late for work yesterday, Kai was lucky to still be able to catch his crosswalk-crush, though the latter seemed rather late himself. 

It has been almost a week since Kai moved to the city, a week since developing feelings for his one-sided crosswalk crush. Kai did not have the courage to speak to him, what made it worse was the peak hour. How will the man notice Kai in the midst of working adults crossing the road every morning?

Maybe Monggu did him a favour yesterday. Because just by being late for five minutes, not only did the rush hour crowd died down, he also finally plucked up the courage to smile at his crush opposite the crosswalk. He remembers how the man’s cheeks pinked, forehead glistened with sweat after seeing him sprint from the opposite street so he could make it in time to cross. Kai couldn’t help but smiled at his direction and his heart thumped crazily against his ribcage when he noticed his crush looking right at him.

Today, Kai makes sure he will not be late again.

* * *

He waits among the morning rush hour crowd. Wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck, he waits and scans the crowd of pedestrians opposite the crosswalk, eyes busy searching for the tanned male.

Not even the passing cars could stop him from spotting him. He’s dressed in similar dress shirt again, but brighter, sleeves neatly rolled this time. Sehun worries his bottom lip, fingers tightening around the handle of his suitcase. Will they pass by each other? Or will he be just another stranger to that chiseled-jaw male?

Green…. amber… red…

Thirty five seconds. People are sprinting across the crosswalk, some bumping shoulders and muttering a quick apology, others busying themselves scrolling through social media on their phones. 

Thirty seconds. 

He spots the sunkissed male but they are too far apart to to brush shoulders. Maybe, Sehun really is just one of the strangers that passes by.

Twenty eight seconds.

Sehun looks up just in time to see the man from yesterday smiling directly at him, their distance closing but still too far apart. Said man gives him a polite nod, and Sehun could not help the smile lingering on his face even after they have crossed the road.

He stops at the opposite crossroad. Looking back, he sees the tanned male raising his hand up to him. For the first time in a long time, he feels alive, the feelings of high school crush coming back to him. Sehun in turn, raises his hand and gives the man a small wave. The male across the road lits up a smile and even from a distance, Sehun could see that little dimple, those thick pair of lips and the way the man’s dress shirt tightens across his broad chest is sending his heart beating in frenzy.

So Sehun did not received a good morning from his one-day crush, but at least he can look forward to the many mornings for the rest of the week.

* * *

Wednesday. 

He’s going to be late again. So Kai runs. He did not get to speak to his crosswalk crush yesterday but at least he managed to catch his attention didn’t he? Kai wasn’t expecting the man to turn back after crossing the road. He could not forget the way the man’s eyes crinkled into crescents when he smiled back at him.

The morning crowd had since dispersed. Kai could not spot his crosswalk crush. No! He had been too late! And this time he can’t even blame it on his poodle. 

He takes a quick glance at his wristwatch, there is no way Kai is waiting for the green man. He dashes through the crosswalk after making sure the incoming vehicles are still far away. 

“Ooooffff!!” 

Kai feels something wet and hot all over his dress shirt when he blindly bumps into someone after turning a corner.

“I’m sorry—“

Kai looks up and sees the man in scarf looking red and flustered. It’s his crosswalk crush.

“Hey it’s… al-alright.” Kai stutters and mentally rolls his eyes backwards. “I wasn’t looking.” Kai bends down and picks up his crush’s spilled Starbucks cup. 

“I’ll pay for the dry cleaning I’m—“ Scarf man’s cheeks start to crimson. Kai isn’t sure if it’s due to the bitterly cold morning or if he’s feeling sorry for dirtying Kai’s shirt.

Kai calms his racing heart before handling the Starbucks cup back. “It’s okay, Sehun. I was the one who bumped into you, I should be the one apologising instead.”

The man named Sehun, who is digging for notes in his wallet, probably still insisting on paying for Kai’s dry cleaning, halts and looks up at Kai, eyes filled with curiosity. “How do you know my name?” 

Those cheeks, oh god those cheeks, Kai is resisting the urge to reach out and brush his calloused hands along the man’s perfect milky white skin.

“It’s written on your cup.” Kai lets out a nervous chuckle. Be cool Kai, be cool, he mentally reassured himself before reaching his hand out. “I’m Kai.”

“Kai.” Sehun lets out and Kai could feel his insides tingling. Oh Kai would love to hear Sehun, his week-long crosswalk crush, to say his name again.

Kai briefly looks at his watch again. How could a small little exchange take up five minutes?! Kai is going to be extremely late! 

He starts to walk backwards, away from Sehun, eyes never leaving the scarfed man who still seems pretty flustered from their entire encounter. “Don’t worry, I have an extra shirt in my office!” Kai turns his back to Sehun and starts jogging down the street. 

Looking back at Sehun, who’s still standing there holding his empty cup, Kai turns around again. “Oh, and have a great morning, Sehun!” 

* * *

Thursday.

Same time, same place. Both men standing at each opposite crosswalk. They smile at each other, waiting for the traffic to come to a stop, and that whole thirty five seconds to close their distance.

Sehun still feels guilty for ruining Kai’s shirt yesterday. It made him feel even worse when Kai rejected his offer to pay for his dry clean. Maybe Kai thinks he’s some nerdy loser. Sehun slumps his shoulder and sighs. For once, he is dreading for the traffic to stop. Oh he wishes for the traffic to malfunction so he has an excuse to not pass by Kai.

Green… amber… red.

Cars stop. Pedestrians start crossing. 

Thirty seconds. Would it seem rude if Sehun just pretend to be on his phone and just pass by Kai? Yes it definitely would, what was he thinking? He just dirtied Kai’s shirt yesterday, he can’t just ignore him now!

Twenty eight seconds. Sehun looks up to see Kai closing in their distance.

Twenty five seconds. He looks up to see Kai coming to a slow down in front of him, holding a cup of coffee from Starbucks. “Sweetened americano. I hope I got your order correct, though my shirt was somewhat already dried when I got to my office yesterday.” Kai chuckles and hands him the cup of coffee.

They are both standing still in the middle of the crosswalk. 

“I’m... thanks Kai. Look I’m still really sorry I spilled—“

Kai cuts him off, slowly jogging backwards with a smile on his face. “Sorry Sehun, have to run now, have a great morning!” Kai shouts back.

When he reaches his office, Sehun takes his time to slowly sip his sweetened americano Kai had so graciously got for him. It’s only when he is done consuming it and tossing the Starbucks cup in the trash can did he realised something.

Picking up the cup where the front had his name “Sehun” messily scribbled by the barista, he turns the cup upside down, careful not to let any residual coffee spill on his pants.

There, written in a completely different handwriting was a note, signed off by none other than Kai.

  
  
  


* * *

Friday. 

Kai have been nervous all day. He did not get to see Sehun at the crosswalk this morning. Did Sehun even managed to spot Kai’s note? 

Kai sighs. Could he have not written it somewhere more visible? He could only blame himself if he doesn’t see Sehun this evening at the crosswalk as promised in the note.

* * *

Kai arrives at the crosswalk ten minutes earlier than promised. Every minute passed makes Kai feel dumber. What if Sehun never saw it?

8.15pm

That is ten minutes passed the promised time. Maybe Sehun never saw that note Kai wrote. Sighing, Kai walks up and hits the button of the crosswalk.

“Is my date leaving already?”

Kai whops his head around to see his crosswalk-crush standing before him, scarf tight around his pale neck, his cheeks crimsoning and eyes crinkling up into Kai’s favorite crescents.

“Thought you’d never show, Sehun.” Kai takes a step closer, their bodies only inches apart, both their breaths coming out white and foggy as the cold winter air envelops them.

Green… amber… red…

Cars stop. Pedestrians walking and running across.

Thirty five seconds to cross, but the world seems to be on a standstill for the two men.

“Maybe we won’t have to say our good mornings right here in the middle of the crosswalk from now on.” Sehun lets out a nervous chuckle.

Kai worries his bottom lip before breaking into his killer smile. “And to more than thirty five seconds with you, Sehun.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Kai’s note on the bottom of Sehun’s cup:
> 
> Go out on a date with me, Sehun.  
> I’d love to have more than thirty five seconds with you, and hopefully, more than just a good morning.
> 
> If you’d give me the honor to take you out, Friday, same place, 8:05pm
> 
> \- Kai


End file.
